A Cousteau Centennial

Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a French naval officer, ocean explorer, filmmaker, TV presenter and preservationist. He and Émile Gagnan designed the Aqua-Lung, the first self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, or scuba. It made longer trips underwater possible. He brought the underwater world to millions by filming his adventures on the Calypso, a ship he turned into a lab and field research vessel.

Cousteau died June 25, 1997, in Paris at age 87. To celebrate the centennial of his birth, here are a few clips celebrating his long career and passion for the ocean and its creatures.

Technology and Inventions

Take a look at some of the great technological inventions of Captain Cousteau and his team: underwater scooters, the expedition ship Alcyone and its turbosails, the mini submarine, the diving saucer and the underwater houses Conshelf II and III.

The Research Ship Calypso

Here is Captain Cousteau’s mythic ship Calypso. He originally leased Calypso in 1950 when he founded the French Oceanographic Campaigns. He turned the vessel into a floating research lab and used it for decades.

The Underwater World of Cousteau

In this clip Cousteau’s divers explore the unknown reaches of the deep. The beauty of Cousteau’s underwater world motivated generations of conservationists to follow in his footsteps to preserve the oceans.

The Odyssey

Watch the opening-title sequence of the Cousteau series The Odyssey of the Cousteau Team. Amazing footage of whales, jellyfish, shipwrecks and other underwater treasures brought a new world to TV viewers.